


Inner Demons

by SkiLift



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ambassador Frisk, Blood, Explicit Language, Fluff, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Original Character(s), Monsterphobia, Nightmares, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Platonic Relationships, Protective Sans, Racism, Reader Is Frisk, Slow Burn, beach trips, posession, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2018-08-24 12:56:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8373058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkiLift/pseuds/SkiLift
Summary: You've been struggling with nightmares for as long as you can remember while trying to juggle your personal relationships and being the ambassador of monsters. It's a lot of work for a 13 year old. However, a certain skeleton confides in you that he is plagued by nightmares as well. Maybe he will be the one to ease your burden and finally make the nightmare child leave you alone.In which Frisk deals with ambassador business and their own inner demons.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've posted this before, under a different username but I deleted it after a while. I decided to revive it so here it is again. Tell me how I did. Constructive criticism, suggestions, and prompts are always welcome.

You wake up with a gasp and sit up quickly. Your eyes frantically dart around your bedroom, searching for the being that has been plaguing your nightmares for weeks. But, as usual, you find no one. You raise a trembling hand to your chest, and take several deep breaths to slow your racing heart. After your heart returns to its usual rhythm, you lay back down, close your eyes, and sigh. The nightmares are becoming more and more frequent and each night you get less and less sleep. And the dream is always the same.   
You would be standing in a black void with a child standing a few feet away, facing you. The child bore a striking resemblance to yourself, aside from the color of their sweater. You two would simply stare at one another and, like a mirror, the child would copy whatever move you made. If you raised your hand, the other would follow suit. After what would seem like hours, the clone’s face would begin to shift and melt into an impish grin. Their eyes would glow an ominous shade of red and they would burst into fits of laughter. The laugh was unlike any other. It was distorted, deeply unsettling, and seemed to pierce your very soul. But the horror wouldn’t stop there. The child’s body would reform into the familiar visages of your friends. But each of their faces were pained and they were all gravely wounded. Crawling towards you, they would call out to you, begging to know why you did this to them. You would try to back away from their advances, only to find that you were unable to move. You would reach your hands out to keep them away, but would always find that you were holding a carving knife, dried blood coating the edge. One of your friends would reach for you but right before they could grab your leg, you would wake up.   
You sit up once more and, after deciding that you wouldn’t be going back to sleep any time soon, swing your legs over the edge of your bed and get up. You shuffle down the hallway, past Toriel’s room, and into the bathroom. You flip the light on and look in the mirror, taking in your appearance. You look horrible. Your shoulder-length brunette hair looks more like a bird’s nest, your forehead is beaded with sweat, and the dark circles under your eyes have worsened. You splash your face with water a few times before returning to your room. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you walk over to the window, unlock it, and slide it open. The late September air is brisk but it does wonders to cool your skin. You glance over to the clock on your nightstand. It is nearly six and Toriel should be getting up soon. As if on queue, you hear Toriel’s bedroom door creak open and soft footsteps descend the stairs. Smiling to yourself, you shut the window and follow Toriel downstairs and into the kitchen. She is making coffee when she notices you behind her.   
“Ah! Good morning, my child!” She greets you pleasantly. “You are up earlier than usual today…would you like breakfast now?” She questions as she pours herself a cup.  
You nod eagerly, your stomach growling in anticipation. Toriel smiles down to you and takes out a frying pan and eggs from the fridge, ruffling your hair with her large paw as she passes. She snaps and the pilot ignites. You watch, intrigued. Her fire magic has always been fascinating to you. She scrambles a few eggs and you wait patiently, listening to her hum softly. You both sit down at the table to enjoy your breakfast. Her cooking is delicious, as usual. Halfway through your meal, you notice Toriel watching you, her expression puzzled. You ask her what’s wrong and she seems embarrassed that she was caught staring.  
“Oh! I was….just thinking. You don’t look like you got much sleep last night. Is everything alright?” She inquired.  
You’re impressed by her vigilance but you assure her that you are fine. Toriel doesn’t seem convinced but it looks like she doesn’t want to pry. You always hate lying to her. After a few minutes of silence, Toriel speaks up again with renewed energy, clearly excited.  
“Oh, yes! Do you remember what day it is?” She asks eagerly.  
“Sunday?” You reply. She chuckles.  
“Well, yes, but it is also beach day!” Toriel explains. Oh, that’s right. You were too overwhelmed by your nightmare and you forgot. Last week, Toriel had suggested to your friends that you all go to the beach, even though it was late September and it would be cold there. The monsters don’t seem to be affected by the cold, though. You make a mental note to bring a thick jacket. You give your best effort to smile so you wouldn’t crush Toriel’s spirits. You feign excitement and it seems like she was convinced this time.  
“Everyone will be here around 8 so you must hurry and pack!” She continues. You glance at the clock on the stove. 7:43. You need to hurry. You thank Toriel for the breakfast and excuse yourself from the table. You head upstairs, making a mental list of all the things you need. You chang out of your pajamas and pull your trademark sweater and leggings out of the closet. You put those on and gather things from your room that will keep you busy. You put everything in a small backpack and began heading downstairs when you hear a knock at the door.   
“Coming!” Toriel says as she hurries to the door. Before she can even get a paw on the handle, the door is kicked open and Undyne bursts inside.  
“Hey, Tori! Hey, punk!” She says loudly and ruffles your hair as you walk up. Alphys sheepishly enters, apologizing profusely about the door.   
“H-hello, Frisk!” She says to you nervously. You smile in response and turn to Toriel, who is scolding Undyne for nearly ruining her door.   
“woah…what happened to the door…? You hear a familiar voice outside say.  
“THEY MAY HAVE BEEN ATTACKED! QUICKLY, SANS! WE MUST AVENGE HER MAJESTY AND THE HUMAN!”  
“i don’t think they were attacked, bro.” The brothers appear in the doorway and step inside. Undyne greets them nosily and Alphys simply nods to them.   
“hey, kid.” Sans says, his trademark grin plastered on his face.  
“HELLO HUMAN! IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG!” Papyrus shouts to you. You saw him yesterday. You smile at them both anyway.  
“It seems like we are all here!” Toriel says, clasping her paws together. “Are you ready to leave, my child?”   
“Agore?” You ask. It wasn’t like him to miss a family event. Toriel closes her eyes and sighs and you instantly regret saying anything.   
“He is meeting with a human leader today so he will not be able to come with us.” She explains, seeming upset that you brought up her ex. You decide to keep your mouth shut. Toriel ushers everyone to the car, shutting the door as best as she could. You all pile into Toriel’s van, everyone’s supplies and bags in the front, Papyrus and Undyne in the pilot seats (since they were the largest), and you in the back, sandwiched between Sans and Alphys. As soon as everyone is situated, Papyrus starts rattling off about all the fun things you are all going to do together at the beach, Sans listens, nodding occasionally, Alphys takes out her 3DS and begins playing, Undyne joins Papyrus and starts shouting about the awesome sand castle that will be built, and Toriel is in the front, driving and smiling to herself. You figure that she enjoys the ambience. The drive to the beach will take about an hour and a half but you already don’t know how much more yelling you can take. You lean your head back against the seat, letting the twists and turns in the road loll your head from side to side. You can feel your consciousness fading but you are apprehensive about falling asleep, knowing that with it, the nightmare child would return. Your head drifts to the side and lands on Sans’ shoulder. You can feel him tense up but he does nothing to resist so your head stays where it is. You’re too exhausted to move, anyway. The fur lining of his jacket hood is very soft and makes for a good pillow, despite Sans’ lack of skin…or organs…or anything else. Your eye drift shut. The darkness overtakes you before you have the chance to register Sans gently resting his cheek on the top of your head.


	2. Chapter 2

A gentle hand shakes your shoulder and you want to push it away. This is the first time in a few months that you didn’t have nightmares. The hand shakes you again, more vigorously this time, and you reluctantly open your eyes. You realize the hand belongs to Alphys and you look at her questioningly.  
“Uh…sorry for waking you…but…we’re here.” She tells you. Oh. You sit up in the seat, removing your head from San’s shoulder. You notice that everyone else is already outside the car, waiting for you three. Since you are in the middle, you have to get out before Sans and Alphys can. You smile at them both apologetically and climb out of the van. The cold air greets you and you shiver, mentally kicking yourself. You forgot a jacket. You retrieve your bag from Toriel, who is patiently waiting off to the side, and you all begin the trudge towards the water. It is overcast and gloomy so there were only a handful of people at the beach today. That doesn’t seem to deter the monsters’ spirits, though. Once a suitable spot is chosen, Toriel lays out a large blanket and you sit down. Toriel sits near you and takes a book out of one of the bags and began to read. The cover reads “72 Uses for Snails.” Undyne and Papyrus barrel towards the ocean, throwing off their clothes to reveal Undyne’s two piece swimsuit (you noted the subtle frill looked very flattering on her) and Papyrus’ swim trunks. Alphys is not far behind in a one piece swimsuit of her own, blushing furiously. Sans just stands near the blanket with his hands   
shoved into his pockets, watching his brother and the others. Before they can make it to the water, Undyne quite literally picks up Papyrus and throws him into the waves. You can’t help but giggle a little as she jumps in after him while Alphys is trying in vain to calm them both down. Sans plops down next to you, causing you to jump slightly in surprise.   
“heh…sorry kid. didn’t mean to rattle your bones.” You groan at his pun but that only makes his smile widen. You both sit for a few minutes, watching the madness Undyne is creating before the wind hits you. You shudder violently and bring your knees to your chest, wrapping your arms around them. Sans doesn’t notice the cold, of course, but he does notice your teeth chattering and the convulsions of your tiny frame. You pretend not to notice as he shrugs out of his heavy blue jacket, leaving him with only a t-shirt, gym shorts, and his usual pink slippers. He wraps it snugly around your shoulders and, obviously, it doesn’t fit properly but, with the way you’re sitting, it envelops your whole body. You notice that the jacket is warm, strangely so considering the fact that Sans is a skeleton. Can he even produce body heat? You decide not to question it. Instead, you thank him quietly and he nods to you in return. Comfortable silence ensues and your mind begins to wander back to the nightmare. Why is it always the same? And who is that other child? The lights in Sans’ eyes are trained on you.  
“you look like you got somethin’ on your mind. there somethin’ ya wanna talk about?” He asks, uncharacteristically serious. You tense slightly but smile meekly and shake your head. He seems unconvinced.   
“not the answer i was lookin’ for there, pal.” He says. His eyes don’t match the grin on his face. You wring your hands inside the jacket, suddenly nervous for some reason. As far as you know, Sans has never been serious in his life and the way his eyes are boring into you make you uncomfortable. You don’t see any way out of this but the last thing you want to do is burden your friend with your problems. You don’t think he would care, anyway. You are desperately concocting a lie in your head when you hear a voice calling to you from the shore.   
“Hey, kid! Get your ass down here! It’s sand castle time!” She shouts and, from the corner of your vision, you see Toriel glace up from her book to scowl at Undyne. She hates when the other monsters swear around you. Undyne doesn’t notice. You silently thank Undyne for saving you from this conversation. You get up from the blanket, dusting yourself off and just when you are about to start walking, a hand catches your wrist.   
“don’t think i’m gonna forget about this, kid.” Sans says to you and you huff a sigh. Of course he won’t forget. You turn and give him a little nod. You begin your trek down to the shore, where Undyne, Papyrus, and Alphys are eagerly waiting for you, but you stop in your tracks. You turn around and jog back towards the blanket where Sans is watching, confused. You bend down, grab his hand, and hoist him up, dragging him towards where the others are waiting.  
“w-woah there kid, i’m not really one for building sand castles.” He protests. But you ignore him. You know that he could easily resist and pull his hand away but he doesn’t. That thought fills you with determination. The others look shocked that you managed to get Sans to come along as well and you beam with pride. Alphys is the first to speak up.  
“A-alright guys. I think we first need to build a proper b-base if we want a nice sand ca-“  
“Screw that! We don’t need a blueprint or anything boring like that, we just need willpower!” Undyne exclaims and she begins piling sand. Alphys sighs, defeated, and you pat her shoulder understandingly. The sand refuses to retain any shape and each time her little sand mountain collapses, Undyne gets angrier. She commands the rest of you to help and you all jump into action. Even Sans, who is awkwardly dragging his foot in the sand, creating what you assume is a moat.   
“EXCELLENT IDEA, BROTHER! THAT WILL KEEP ATTACKERS AWAY!” Papyrus shouts and he enthusiastically helps Sans with the moat.   
A few hours and a couple of collapsed castles later, the sky begins to darken. Toriel calls to everyone and announces that it was time to go home. Undyne and Papyrus can’t hide their disappointment but they comply anyways. Alphys seems relieved that the beach trip is finally coming to a close. You return to the blanket and everyone gathers their belongings and heads to the car. You all pile in, with the same seating arrangement as before. You are thoroughly exhausted. The car’s heater blasts hot air towards you and you soon become uncomfortably warm. You wiggle out of the jacket and return it to Sans. He puts it back on himself, careful not to smack you in the face when he shoves his arm through, and he turns to you as if he wants to say something. Oh no. You don’t have an acceptable lie figured out yet. In an effort to avoid confrontation, you yawn dramatically and place your head on San’s shoulder, just like before. He sighs audibly but doesn’t say anything. That conversation can wait. You smile smugly when a wave of fatigue hits you. The dull hum of the engine and the quiet music emanating from Alphys’s 3DS causes you to begin nodding off. You feel your eyelids droop and you pray that the nightmare child doesn’t visit you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. And for short chapters.

You shoot up from your bed. You look around, wondering how you got from the car to your bed. Your head is pounding and your face and neck are slick with sweat as you try in vain to prevent yourself from hyperventilating. Another nightmare. Reflexively, you glance around your room. This is so commonplace, now, you don't expect your search to be fruitful. However, this time it is. Your heart lurches into your throat and you freeze, eyes wide with horror. In the corner of your room, a painfully familiar silhouette stands, motionless. You foolishly hope that you are still having a nightmare but you realize that that is merely wishful thinking. The nightmare child is in your room and very much real. The silhouette begins to move towards you and that’s when the panic sets in. As they advance you notice they are gripping an unfortunately familiar shape. Their right hand is brandishing the carving knife that you know too well. You shove yourself up against the headboard, dragging a pillow into your lap as a pitiful shield. Their crimson eyes dully illuminate their face, dripping with murderous intent. You were considering throwing your pillow at the intruder when a high pitched keening noise interrupts your thoughts. The child stops in their tracks, seemingly put off by this noise. You wonder where it came from. That’s when you realize the noise originated from you. You are screaming, when had you started screaming? You can hear clamor down the hallway and the sound of heavy footsteps growing louder. You silently beg Toriel not to come into your room. The child is still present and you have seen what they are capable of. The last thing you want is for Toriel, or anyone for that matter, to be hurt because of you. Despite your silent pleas, your door swings open with great force and your screaming subsides. Toriel rushes to your side.   
“Oh, my child whatever is the matter?” Her usually peaceful and loving expression is contorted and laced with concern. You try to find words to answer her but words will not come. Your mind is running a mile a minute and you are failing to control your panicked breaths. You are becoming hysterical and that seems to dawn on Toriel as well. She pulls you to her chest and begins hushing you and speaking softly into your ear, telling you that you will be fine and that she is right here with you. She puls away too soon.   
“What on Earth happened, dear?” She asks, looking into your panic stricken eyes. You compose yourself enough to formulate a sentence.  
“T-there’s…someone t-there.” You choke out, punctuating your sentence with a large sniff. You jab a finger in the direction of the child. Toriel’s head whips around, surveying the room. She is visibly confused.  
“But…I do not see anyone, my child.” She tells you, her voice becoming progressively more worried. Your eyes dart around the room. She is right. The child has disappeared. You are thoroughly shaken. Are you going crazy? Is Toriel going to look at you differently now? Does Toriel think you are crazy? You desperately think up an excuse to brush it off.   
“S-sorry, Toriel…I must have still been dreaming.” You laugh nervously. Your feeble excuse does nothing to smooth the wrinkles of concern on her furry face.  
“Are you quite sure?” She persists. You give her a small nod but she is obviously unconvinced. “I am going to go make a call, so I will have to leave you alone for a short while. Is that alright?” She asks. You nod again, appreciating her consideration. She stands up and strides out into the hallway, closing your door slightly so she is out of your view. You can hear her talking quietly and strained your ears to in an attempt to make out what she was saying, to no avail. Her flip phone snapped shut with finality. You wonder who she called. You pray it isn't Sans.  
“Sans is on his way, dear.” Toriel says, striding back to your bedside. “He is very smart so he may know how to help you.” You groan internally. Sans is the first but also the last person you want to see, at the moment. You don't want him to see you in such a pitiful state. It is enough that Toriel knows you are going crazy; now Sans will know, too? Once again, you are desperately trying to think up an excuse you could give to Sans. One you haven't used before. From downstairs, there is a soft tap at the door. You aren't ready.


	4. Chapter 4

Toriel stands and leaves your side, heading out into the hallway and down the stairs. You hear the door swing open and a few muffled words are exchanged. Your breathing has slowed but your mind is still reeling. You try to focus on a specific object in your room but your vision is blurring. Footsteps in the hallway bring you to attention. Toriel shuffles back to your bedside and kneels, her features regaining composure.  
“Sans believes that he knows what happened.” She explains to you with a feeble smile. You look to the doorway as Sans enters, his trademark smile on his face, as usual. You stifle a cringe. He sits at the foot of your bed and grins at you. You give him the best smile you can muster when, in all reality, you just want to break down and sob. You look back to Toriel. She turns to Sans, expectantly. He raises what would be his eyebrow, if he had one.   
“oh...well i was hoping i could talk with the kid...y’know...privately.” Sans says with a sheepish smile. Toriel understands immediately.   
“Oh! Yes, of course.” She looks at you. “I will be downstairs if you need anything, my child.” Toriel stands and smiles at you again before going back downstairs. She is always so understanding. You love that about her. Now it's just you and Sans. The tension in the air is so thick it could be cut with a knife. Speaking of knives...No, you won’t think about that. The last thing you want to do is break down in front of Sans. He breaks the silence.  
“so...tori said you had a nightmare...whats that all about?” He questions, the pricks of light in his eye sockets focus on your face. You hesitate, unsure of what to say, but in the end all you come up with was a shrug, indicating that you have no intention of answering.   
“alright then...you don’t have to talk, just listen.” He says. You are beginning to get nervous again. What is he going to say? Is he about to tell you that it was only a dream and you are overreacting? You don’t let your face reveal the maelstrom of thoughts inside your head, remaining quiet as Sans spoke.   
“i have nightmares a lot, too.” He concedes. You weren’t expecting that. “sometimes theyre different...but usually theyre about this person i used to know...ya probably dont know him but he was the royal scientist before alphys and he...he did a lot of bad things...in the dreams he’s doin’ those bad things to you...and that always scares me...heh...” This time, you can’t hide the shock on your face. Does he…does he care about you that much? You brush that notion away. “sorry if im freakin’ ya out here. its okay, he’s gone now, i haven’t seen him in a long time.”   
You are taken aback, to say the least. You have never seen Sans look so somber. And you had no idea he has been experiencing the same trauma as you this whole time. All this time you had believed you were the only one experiencing such horrors. You didn't even realize that one of your best friends was suffering in silence right under your nose. You feel like a horrible friend. You cast your eyes to the side, ashamed.  
“I...had no idea…” You speak softly. Sans smiles and places a bony hand on your head, ruffling your hair.  
“i did a pretty good job of hiding it, didnt i?” He chuckles. You are impressed that he is managing to stay so nonchalant with all this, while you are always mopey and downtrodden, probably causing your friends to worry, the very last thing you want to happen. You feel pathetic. You internally resolve to try and hide your inner turmoil more efficiently. You smile up at him weakly through the curtain of hair that fell over your eyes.   
“well...you should get some more sleep...you got an interview with the humans in a few days…” He says, grinning. You had completely forgotten. You can't suppress a groan this time.   
“heh...dont worry, kiddo...you’ll do fine...we’ll all be there with you.” Hearing him say that makes you feel a little better. Sans stands and begins to shuffle to your bedroom door. For a moment, you consider calling out to him and asking him to stay with you, at least until you fall asleep again. You bite your tongue. As he is closing the door, he looks back at you.  
“stay determined, kid.” He mumbles, almost so low it was inaudible. The door clicks shut.


	5. IM STILL ALIVE

Hello!  
I haven’t forgotten about this story.   
I kinda fell out of the fandom for a while but I’ve been reading other fics and getting inspired!  
I’m gonna write more! How exciting!  
I have lots of ideas, specifically for one scene that’s gonna take you on a feel trip and basically the scene that drove me to even write this story.   
I’m still gonna be pretty inconsistent with uploading but I’ll try my hardest.   
Thanks for all the support!


End file.
